Tiny Pods

[Gotrox]

So.
First full season grow in the new pepper patch.
Started on Jan. 31st and kept under lights till mid may after last frost.
 
Plot was tilled last fall, and again a week prior to planting out.
Nice aged mix of organic material (leaves, grass,chicken droppings) and a couple bags of vermiculite.
 
Complete virgin grow, no plant mods (pinching or trimming) no ferts, no pesticides.
 
On purpose-----I want to see which grows best in this climate "on it's own", as it were.
 
Thai dragons and "Yucatan" bullets have no issues, as well as a couple of Bolivian Rainbow unknown crosses.
 
Habs (spicy mustard variety) are next, with smaller than usual pods, but still not bad.
 
Trinidads and Bhuts, however----tiny little pods that don't stay green or grow for long before going red.
 
Though tiny (dime sized), the heat and flavor seems to be there, but little if any seeds found inside, so I am sure they are getting the stress they need.
 
Anyone have similar issues---and a cure?
 
Not for this year, I am determined to let it play out till the end.
 
Conditions:
High desert with single digit humidity
Short watering (automatic) twice a day. (yup---they need it) 10 am and pm
Full sun from dawn to 2:30 (summer solstice) 8 to 10 hours through the summer, and partial shade till dusk after.
Wind.
Did I mention wind?
 
Plan for fall tilling---some oyster shell, a bunch of sand (too much organics methinks)
Plan for starting:
Aerogardens again for sprouting, into pots after and under 10k t5's with uva component.
 
Plantout:
Under cover (greenhouse) for the first couple weeks, planted with some myco's in the hole.
Regular organic fert schedule, and a misting sysyem for the harsh desert rays and low humidity.
 
I do have room for about 12 overwinters, as the bunch I have in pots are much more productive.
 
Any desert growers with some hints?

 

[TXCG]

Here's one I grew a few years ago to make you feel better:
 

 
I have no idea how that thing ripened, not even big enough to hold a seed. It's a tabasco by the way & all the other pods on the plant were normal sized.

 

[Noah Yates]

There you go... first line of the conditions you mentioned.... "single digit humidity".... and "the wind" combine to make for plants that struggle to maintain their moisture content.  Any fruiting plant requires alot of water to produce those juicy ovaries...  even if you watered them continuously... they would have a hard time producing large fruits at the high transpiration rate induced by your arid climate.  Another hypothesis is involves the possibility of a nutrient difficiency given that you purposefully have not fed the plants (becasue you fed the soil).  They may be difficient in a couple micronutrients.

 

[Gotrox]

Along the lines I was thinking too.
Maybe a bit too much organics not allowing the roots to go deep, as everything is on the surface foot or so----the part of the soil that dries fastest.
Tomatoes are growing fine in just plain natural soil which is a bit acidic in another plot, if a bit burnt on the leaves.
None showing any classic nute shortage signs, but most assuredly stressed by wind and very high UV index.

All in all, a good grow, as I am finding out what I wanted to discover.
I have access to some fine black volcanic gravel/sand mix from a lava flow that is a bit on the acidic side, and I am for sure using a misting system and ferts for next spring.
Cayenne's and white bullet habs, and prolly some of the wilds can grow just fine without much adjusting.

Any other hints from those doing extreme climate grows?

 

[Noah Yates]

Maybe build a greenhouse.... with all of that sun you could grow year-round... but you would need to invest in climate control...

 

[Gotrox]

I have a "portable" greenhouse that I use early and late, for hardening off and keeping the frost at bay, with heat lamps.
But it is bitterly cold 4 months of the year, and spotty freezes and weeks of unpredictable frosts 4 months of the year @ above 5,000' elevation.

Propane is the fuel----still a working person on rotating 12 hour shiftwork, so can't stock a wood or pellet heater---and that is just too costly.